The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1887-10-20
THE QUEEN OF SALESWOMEN.
An Artist in Whose Hands the Customer
Was as Helpless as an Infant.

An Artist in Whose Hands the Customer
Was as Helpless as an Infant.
A conversation overheard; the speakers
are feminine. "How did you come to buy
those shoes? They are very handsome,
but not at all your usual style" "Well,
I've been pretending to everybody that
changed my mind about square toes, and
that bought them because ! liked them,
but I'll confess to you that it was no such
thing; bought them because the sales
woman was clever enough to make me do
it." "She must have been clever in
deed" Eyes. don't wonder you say
so; generally take pleasure in declaring
my independence of the usual sales
woman's dictum. When she tells me
what is the style, and what she is buying
for herself, and what will just suit me,
wouldn't buy what she recommends if l
wanted it so much that went to another
shop and got identically the same thing;
but the woman that sold me these shoes
was an artist in whose hands was but
helpless infant. To begin with, she was
bright, CHEEKY little thing, and struck
me dumb with amaZement from the first
by waiting on me as if it were pleasure
for her to do it.
"Then she brought out these shoes with
the remark that she was SO glad she had
this one pair of this kind, for she knew
they would fit me, as they had been made
to order, so much better than the regular
stock. How did it come that shoes made
to order were for sale to me? Why the
lady who ordered them had forced the
meaSurer to take her measure too small,
she was so anxious to have little feet, but
when she came to try them they were i'm
possible. She had gotten them so small
that she simply could not stand up in
them, but then what perfection they were
on me; wouldn't just stand up and walk
about in them; did ever any one see such
combination of ease and elegance? OF
course she went on, you never could
wear cheap shoe; they never make
cheap shoes with that high arched instep.
Look at others? Oh, yes, certainly and
she came back as pleasantly as possible
with several pairs. But for them she had
nothing in particular to say, and she had
by this time by her adroit flattery of my
feet, inspired me with respect for her
judgment-yOu know we do so respect
the judgment of the people that admire
us-that / quite hung my decision ON her
approval.
"The fiattery was of the most artistic
kind; it was all said with the simplest,
most unconscious air of stating fact, and
when she said how these broad toes made
a small foot look smaller still, though they
were too conspicuous for big one, 1 sur
rendered and bought a shoe such as I
never expected to wear. OF course, the
fact is that they were ordered and when
they were thrown back on their hands
they were too narrow to be generally sal
able. That queen of saleswomen knew
that they were the ones above all others
to get rid of, and willy or nilly, so far as 1
was concerned, she sold them to me. But
l fiatter myself there are not three others
in New York who could have done it; and
/ am willing to put up with a purchase 1
don't altogether like in consideration of
having found an agreeable woman
New York Graphic.